The United States along with Britain, Canada, and other Allied countries had begun on their mission to defeat Germany in Europe. To do this, they had to first start in France which had been under German control since June 22, 1940. The Beaches of Normandy were the perfect gateway into the German frontier and were a vital location to be captured. As commander of the Allied forces in Operation Overlord, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the most significant member in his ability to foster cooperation through outstanding leadership qualities. Eisenhower, with a variety of techniques and skills, earned himself this title through what he was able to accomplish both politically and militarily. Without what Eisenhower brought to the table due to his political and military backgrounds, the largest sea to land invasion to this day would not have ran as smoothly as it did.
Eisenhower first began his tremendous military career graduating 61st out of a class of 164 from West Point. After graduating in September of 1915, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and reported to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Eisenhower served with the Infantry until February 1918. He then served with the Tank Corps until January 1922. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on July 1, 1916, Captain on May 15, 1917, Major (temporarily) on June 17, 1918 and to Lieutenant Colonel (temporarily) on October 14, 1918. On June 30, 1920, he was reverted to permanent rank of Captain and on July 2, 1920 was promoted to Major. In January 1922, Eisenhower was assigned as executive officer to Brigadier General Fox Conner in the Panama Canal Zone. Conner was an expert on military history and they spent hours talking about military and international problems. Eisenhower said, “Fox Conner was the ablest man I ever knew.” Connor arranged for Eisenhower to attend the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He then graduated in 1926 as the top student in a class of almost 250. Eisenhower then went on to be the top of his class at the Army War College. He continued to excel in staff assignments serving under both General Douglas MacArthur and General Walter Krueger. After Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, General George C. Marshall called Eisenhower to Washington for an assignment as head of the War Plans Division. (Dwight David Eisenhower)
Now the time had come to prepare for the greatest land and sea invasion the world has ever seen. Dwight Eisenhower was put in as Commander of the European theater and it was his job to plan and execute the operation. Eisenhower knew the task to invade Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” was going to be a difficult and bloody one. The ports of Le Havre and Cherbourg were massively fortified and therefore would not be good landing spots. This caused Eisenhower to select five landing sites on 21 miles of sandy beaches. The American beaches included Utah and Omaha on the west and the British and Canadian beaches Gold, Sword, and Juno to the east. Prior to the actual invasion Eisenhower had the Allied planes photograph enemy defenses, drop supplies to the resistance, bomb railways, attack Germany's industries and isolate the battlefield. The Allied Navel forces were ordered to escort convoys, patrol and protect the English Channel, scout out beaches and beach defenses, and conducted numerous amphibious rehearsals. Meanwhile, the three airborne and six infantry divisions from the United States, Britain and Canada trained and rehearsed their roles in operation. (Normandy)
Politically, Eisenhower was faced with a very difficult task. He was forced to be in charge of the complete cooperation between the forces of three Allied countries. The Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), was formed so that it was the only organization that gave orders to Eisenhower; it was the nearest thing possible to having only one government in which to answer. The objective of Eisenhower’s headquarters was to build a structure of command and staff that emphasized Allied unity and the cooperation of the several national armed forces that would fight the battles. Eisenhower therefore selected men he knew from his previous staffs and blended British and American officers into a single organization. The primary objective of the SHAEF staff, Eisenhower said was to, "utilize the resources of two great nations . . . with the decisiveness of a single authority." This was not an easy task for him; it forced him to create a technical and emotional atmosphere necessary for the Allied command to function properly. He began to face more problems when Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory argued that poor landing zones and German resistance would result in the "futile slaughter" of two fine airborne divisions. Eisenhower strongly insisted that the landings could not proceed otherwise and overrode his air commander's objections.
In the end, Eisenhower proved to be correct in this issue; his determination to prevail in the debates reinforced his authority as Supreme Commander. (Dwight David Eisenhower)
Now the time had come for Operation Overlord to take place. Originally, Eisenhower decided that June 5th would be D day, but poor weather conditions the day before forced him to postpone the invasion until the 6th. Some ships had already left port and had to be recalled. The elements were crucial in planning the attack. Another delay would have meant putting the whole operation off until at least the 19th, the next date when the moon and tides would be optimal for an attack. Once the pieces of the Operation Overlord had been set in motion, there was nothing more the Supreme Commander could do to affect the results. He placed the issue in the hands of the few thousand brave men at the five beaches of Gold, Sword, Juno, Omaha, and Utah. (Roberts)
Before the amphibious invasion began Eisenhower organized a series of airborne operations. In the west, planes dropped several hundreds of American parachutists belonging to the 101st and 82nd airborne divisions to control the surrounding roads. This was done in order to slow down the German counter-attacks following the landing. In the East, the 6th British airborne division was charged to carry out the same work. Bridges in the east of the invasion area were crucial objectives that the parachutists had to capture. Of the 18.000 parachutists, about a half was killed. Germans became more and more disorientated and the communications to their front did not pass efficiently any more. The landing could now finally begin. (D-Day Normandy)
Though badly scattered and lacking much of their equipment, the brave paratroopers kept the Germans occupied and helped ensure that the "Utah" Beach assault went relatively easily. The British and Canadian attacks, assisted by an air-dropped division on their eastern flank and a longer naval bombardment, also went well. In the "Omaha" area, deep beaches backed by steep hills meant that the U.S. troops landing there were exposed to heavy fire from enemy small arms, machine guns and artillery. Casualties were very great and the assault only succeeded after a day of brutal fighting, with warships coming in close to provide direct gunfire in support of the hard-pressed soldiers. The casualities for the Allied troops on D-day were 53,700 dead, 18,000 missing, 155,000 wounded. For the German troops it was 200,000 dead, wounded and missing as well as 200,000 captured. The Allies won the battle, liberating France and Western Europe from the German Army. (D-Day)
Through D-Day, Eisenhower's most marked characteristics were his unfailing optimism about the success of the invasion and his determination to overcome all obstacles that stood in its way. As more operations during the war developed across northern Europe, Eisenhower demonstrated an exceptional mental flexibility that allowed him to exploit German weaknesses. Since the earlier days with Fox Conner, Eisenhower hated poor planning and considered it potentially dangerous. From August of 1944 through the end of the war, he made a series of important decisions that changed the course of the war. (D-Day)
With Europe in the early stages of reconstruction, Eisenhower returned to the United States in November 1945 to replace his mentor as Chief of Staff of the United States Army. George C. Marshall had overseen the building of the largest Army in the nation's history; Eisenhower presided over the postwar demobilization of that Army. He found himself testifying before Congress to oppose cuts in the military that would hinder the ability to defend American interests in the postwar world. With the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, Eisenhower became the Army's first Chief of Staff to participate in the newly created unified Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1948 he retired from the Army to become president of Columbia University. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
In December 1950, at the request of the European allies, President Harry Truman recalled Eisenhower to become the Supreme Allied Commander, where he directed the buildup of military forces for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In dealing with the creation of a defense against the threat of Communism, Eisenhower and his Allied staff worked within the constraints of a Europe that was recovering from the damages of World War II and still stood on the edge of economic collapse. His most enduring contribution was developing a sense of partnership and self-confidence among the NATO member nations. Europeans found that they could trust a man who shared their desire for peace. Eisenhower believed that his NATO command was unique. It was the first time, as he later commented, that a multinational army was created "to preserve the peace and not to wage war." (Ike's D-Day)
In 1952 he accepted the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States and defeated Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson in the November elections. The quality of leadership that distinguished Eisenhower the soldier also served him well in the presidency. The diverse challenges of more than thirty years of service in the Army and as an international leader increased his natural gift for command. He had the considerable advantage that many of the leaders of the postwar world were old friends whom he had come to know well during the war, and with whom he already had a sound working relationship. Eisenhower's military experience also proved invaluable in determining his style of Presidential leadership. Based on techniques that had served him well in SHAEF and NATO, he used a chief of staff to keep track of the day-to-day operations, freeing him to keep a close eye on all of the administration's business. The new President's major concern was the continued quest for international peace that had been his focus in his years with NATO. (Normandy)
Through all of his accomplishments Dwight D. Eisenhower had proven himself as one of the best politician-generals the United States of American had ever seen. His brilliant tactics became a significant reason the Allies were able to win World War II. Without Eisenhower’s decisive plans conquering Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” would have been nearly impossible given all he did. The central fact about Dwight David Eisenhower is that he accepted the responsibility for making important decisions at critical points in the history of his nation and the world. The most dramatic of those decisions, and the ones for which he had consciously prepared himself throughout a long military career, produced the Allied victory in Europe in 1945. He dedicated himself to the cause of peace during his eight years in the White House. He won the trust and confidence of the common man, both in the United States and the world. To Eisenhower, as a soldier and as a statesman, duty came first. This is best shown in his speech in June of 1945 after being awarded the Freedom of the City of London. "Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends." (Ike's D-Day)
This is Preview only. If you need the solution of this assignment, please send us email with the complete assignment title: ProfessorKamranA@gmail.com
